In yet another blow for Desiree (Dezzi) Liebenberg, wife of diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, turned down her appeal bid against the earlier refusal to grant her bail.
The Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court in November refused her bail as it found that she is a flight risk. The lower court also found that she did not play open cards about where she would stay if she was granted bail.
On Friday, Judge Mashudu Munzhelele found that the magistrate did not err in refusing bail for Dezzi. Apart from the fact that it is still vague as to which address she will reside if she was to be released, the judge also found that the State had a strong case against her.
She was arrested in October last year, alongside her husband, relating to charges which include racketeering, money laundering, fraud, theft, and corruption. In opposing bail, the State said it had a strong case against her and that it is not in the interest of justice to be released while awaiting trial.
It also argued that she was a flight risk because she had access to at least R200 million that her husband claims to have hidden away from authorities.
While Dezzi said the investigating officer did confirm her residential address, the State argued that she gave two residential addresses to the investigating team to verify. One is a rented property in Bronkhorstspruit and the other a rental in Bloemfontein.
While Dezzi was said to have stayed with her husband Louis in the Bronkhorstspruit property, the Bloemfontein one was apparently only used for her immovable property.
Dezzi provided the court with a third address and a statement from a friend who is willing to let her stay with them if she was to be released on bail. But the State also objected to this, as this address was never given to the investigating officer to verify.
The court was told that given the fact that the Liebenberg couple had employed bodyguards to keep them safe before their arrest and statements made to court that they lived in fear, the State said if she was to be released, she would clearly have to go into hiding.
It was also argued that Dezzi tried to mislead the court about her employment, as she mentioned directorship of only three of her husband’s companies, while she was allegedly the director of 18 companies.
Louis will meanwhile return to the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court on July 8, when he is expected to apply for bail. This is after he had earlier abandoned his bail application.
The couple, together with their co-accused; Magdelena Petronella Kleynhans, Johannes Petrus Badenhorst, Helena Dorothea Amy Schulenburg, Adriaan Dewald Strydom, Christelle Badenhorst, Nicolize van Heerden, and Walter Niendinger, are still to plead on the 42 charges against them.
It is claimed by the State that Louis allegedly operated a diamond syndicate that was involved in dealing with and luring unsuspecting investors to invest in unpolished diamonds through social media platforms. As such, he has been accused of fleecing his investors of more than R4 billion since 2019.
Louis and his wife were arrested at a Gauteng restaurant on the night of October 22 last year after a five-year probe.
